we had watched an interview of Tanmay Bhat with Varun Mayya quite some time ago, it made a lot of sense

These are hard-earned lessons from the trenches of India’s digital ecosystem

These were lying in our notes app, putting it out here, most things beautifully put by Tanmay, he indeed is a master of words

I have modified a few things based on knowledge that I have gathered too

Reaching 1K, 10K, 100K, 500K, 1 Million followers/subscribers isn’t just luck, it’s a result of systems, storytelling, & showing up relentlessly

Whether you’re at follower 54 or 540K, this post is your playbook to build a scalable content engine from scratch

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1) Find Product-Market Fit for ‘Enjoyment’:

- Before you look for an audience, find what lights you up

- Create around a topic you’d stick to for 3+ years

- Test formats: video, writing, audio to find your medium

- Use early feedback as guidance, not gospel

- The best creators blend passion with market need

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2) Build the Most Overlooked Skill: ‘Writing’

- No matter your platform, writing powers every hook, script, title, & caption

- Great writing helps you:

• Structure ideas that stick

• Create emotional or intellectual payoff writing is a long-term leverage

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3) Play for Asymmetric Returns:

- One video can change your life

- 1 out of 50 posts may go viral

- Growth is spiky, not linear

- Each post is a ‘lottery ticket’ with better odds through consistency

- Show up often enough to get lucky

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4) Master Retention: The Secret to Growth

- Likes don’t scale, retention does

- Open with curiosity

- Add tension or mystery

- Deliver a surprise halfway “oven moment”

- Refresh visuals every 30/60 secs

- Close with insight or clarity

- Platforms reward content that keeps people watching

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5) Short-form vs Long-form:

- Use Both

- Start with short-form to build confidence & audience habit

- Evolve into long-form for trust and monetisation

- Rule of thumb:

. Short-form gets you discovered

. Long-form earns you loyalty & money

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6) Monetisation: Think Beyond Ads

- Top content creators don’t rely on one stream

- Courses & Coaching are high-margin, scalable impact

- D2C Products: product opportunity

- Consulting/Services: when businesses want your playbook

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7) Build Your Content Team

- Solo is fine to start but scale needs leverage and tribe

- Start with freelancers: editors, writers, producers

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- Hire for:

• Speed

• Storytelling

- Build small but sharp teams

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8) From Creator to Company:

- Content is the entry point, business is the outcome

- Build IP, not just posts

- Step out of ‘creator only’ mode into operator/founder mode

- The best creators evolve into content entrepreneurs

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9) Track What Matters:

- Ignore vanity metrics, focus on:

• Retention rate

• Watch time

• RPM

• Repeat viewership

• Engagement/impression

• Upload velocity

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‘Top creators aren’t guessing, they’re optimising’

‘This Is a Marathon, Not a Meme’

‘The creator economy isn’t a trend, it’s a revolution’

‘Start today, not someday’

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